Summer Science Saturday, July 20, 2019

Celebrate with us!

July 20, 2019

The annual LPL (Lunar and Planetary Laboratory) open house, Summer Science Saturday, will highlight the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing and recent lunar research

Lectures held in Kuiper 308

10:30a.m.

50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Lunar Landing on July 20, 1969

Robert Strom, Professor Emeritus, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory

The Apollo 11 landing on the Moon was a major landmark in human history. It was the first time humans had voyaged to another body in space. The data returned by the Apollo missions have resulted in our current understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon with major implications for the rest of the Solar System. This talk will primarily discuss the Apollo 11 mission, including details not generally known.

12:00p.m.

One Giant Leap: The Scientific Legacy of the Apollo Missions to the Moon

Fifty years ago, one of the greatest scientific leaps of our time was set in motion by the first steps of the Apollo astronauts venturing out onto the lunar surface. Over the next three and a half years, the seven missions to the surface of the Moon returned a treasure trove of data and samples, whose scientific value has far exceeded even the wildest expectations. The pictures, samples of lunar rocks, and investigations into the subsurface from Apollo answered many fundamental questions regarding the Moon, the Earth, and the Solar System as a whole.

Scientists today still analyze the Apollo data and samples, which continue to yield new surprises and important discoveries. Yet even as many questions were answered, new mysteries were revealed that continue to puzzle scientists. This talk will explore some of the fundamental discoveries that came out of the Apollo missions, and some of the key questions that remain unanswered.

1:30p.m.

From Arizona to the Moon

Dr. Hartmann was a graduate student in the 1960s at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and co-founded Tucson's Planetary Science Institute. He will describe many pre-Apollo and post-Apollo space-related activities in Arizona. Hartmann was lead author of the current theory of the origin of the moon, discovered one of the largest impact basins on the moon, was a team member on 3 orbital spacecraft missions to Mars, and has an asteroid named after him in recognition of his work.